PM Modi says heartening that National Educational Policy hasn’t raised concerns of bias

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said it was heartening to see that the National Education Policy was being discussed without anyone raising concerns of bias. Speaking at the ‘Conclave on Transformational Reforms in Higher Education under National Education Policy’, Modi said, “After the National Education Policy came, no section of the country said that the Policy has any bias. It is a matter of happiness.”

“National Education Policy is being discussed across the nation today. People from different fields and ideologies are giving their views and reviewing the policy. It’s a healthy debate. The more it is done, the more it will be beneficial to the education system of the country,” Modi said.

The conclave was organised by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the University Grants Commission. It had sessions dedicated to significant aspects of education covered under the new National Education Policy (NEP), including holistic, multidisciplinary and futuristic education, quality research and equitable use of technology for better reach in education.

The NEP approved by the Union Cabinet at a meeting presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi replaces the 34-year-old National Policy on Education framed in 1986 and is aimed at paving the way for transformational reforms in school and higher education systems to make India a global knowledge superpower.

Choice between 3 or 4 year undergraduate courses, multiple entry and exit options in degree courses, adding 3.5 crore seats in higher education institutions, which will now have a single regulator, discontinuation of M.Phil programmes and fixation of fees are among the higher education reforms outlined in the new NEP.

The policy has proposed setting up of a ‘single overarching umbrella body for the entire higher education’.

At the meet, Modi said that there has been no major changes in our education system in the last few years. “It caused our society to encourage herd mentality, instead of curiosity and imagination. How can youth develop critical and innovative ability if there’s no passion in our education, no purpose of education,” the PM said.